Non-conductive and heat resistant materials are those that keep heat from absorbing into the exposed material. Fire retardants are chemicals that can be applied to a combustible object to reduce flammability or retard the spread of fire over its surface. They are commonly applied to textiles and building materials where fire resistance is particularly desirable.
Despite the effectiveness of intumescent coatings and fire retardants in protecting flammable surfaces, there are certain disadvantages associated with their use. For example, the intumescent reaction can produce large bubbles in the coating which, upon rupture, may expose the underlying surface. Such localized regions of exposed surface are thereby rendered unprotected and may provide sites at which combustion of the surface can occur. Many fire retardants are synthetic phosphorus-containing compounds; however, questions concerning the health and safety as well as the environmental impact of some of these chemicals have arisen.